Viruses

Doesn’t belong to any kingdom

-It’s not a plant or an animal.
-It’s not a fungi, protist, or
bacteria.

A.I MUSTAFA ALNOORI

 Are Viruses Living?
Create a table where one column represent properties of living organisms
and the second column represent properties of a virus.

Properties of Living Properties of Viruses

Organisms
Breathes (respires) Doesn’t breathe

Metabolizes Doesn’t metabolize

Grows Doesn’t grow

Reproduces Reproduces

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

 A virus is an infectious agent made up of
nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a
protein coat called a capsid.
Viruses have no nucleus, no organelles, no cytoplasm or
cell membrane—Non-cellular
This is why it does NOT belong to any kingdom.

vs
 DNA/RNA
DNA or RNA code for genes that defines who we are.

DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is

the double-stranded molecule
that encodes genetic
information (e.g. your hair color,
height, etc.) in the nucleus of
cells. The complete set of DNA
in a cell is called the genome.

RNA, ribonucleic acid, is typically

single stranded so that it can be read
to make proteins.

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

Viruses have either DNA or RNA but NOT both.
Viruses with RNA that transcribe
into DNA are called retroviruses.
Viruses are parasites—an
organism that depends entirely
upon another living organism (a
host) for its existence in such a
way that it harms that organism.

HIV Infected Cell

(This is the reason why HIV is so incurable.)

A flea is a parasite to a dog

and is harmful to the dog.
 How small is a virus?

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

 Virus Structure

• Size
– 17 nm – 3000 nm diameter

• Basic shape
– Rod-like
– “Spherical”

• Protective Shell - Capsid

– Made of many identical protein
subunits
– Symmetrically organized
– 50% of weight
– Enveloped or non-enveloped

• Genomic material
– DNA or RNA
– Single- or double-stranded
1. Bacteriophage—viruses that infect bacteria

Capsid (protein coat)

– inside contains either
RNA or DNA 2. Flu (influenza), HIV

DNA or RNA

Surface
Marker

Capsid (protein coat)

C. Nonviral particle
Has protein only, no DNA or RNA (cause of mad cow
disease and Creutfeldt-Jacob disease in humans)—
Prions (affects the brain and is always fatal)

No DNA or RNA!
 Certain viruses can only attack certain
cell types. They are said to be specific.
Example: The rabies virus only attacks brain or nervous cells.
Surface Markers
Virus

Receptor Sites

It’s like the pieces of a puzzle. The

ends have to match up so only
certain pieces fit.
Cell
A virus recognizes cells it can infect by matching
its surface marker with a receptor site on a cell.
Virus
Surface
Markers Cell

Receptor
Sites
 Capsid symmetry
Icosahedral Helical

Naked capsid

Enveloped

Matrix

Lipid

Glycoprotein
 Helical Capsids
RNA

Helical capsids are rod-

like structures with the
RNA in the center of the
helix. A helix is made by
stacking repeating units in
a spiral.

protein coat

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

 Tobacco Mosaic Virus
Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is an example of a virus with a helical structure. Protein
subunits wrap around the spiraling RNA strand.

This image taken using an Electron Microscope

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

Icosahedral enveloped viruses

Herpes simplex virus Herpes simplex virus

Electron micrograph Nucleocapsid cryoEM model
 Adenovirus
Adenoviruses cause diseases like pink-eye or the common cold

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

 Bacteriophage
Bacteriophage is a virus that infects bacteria.

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

 Enveloped Viruses
Enveloped viruses are viruses which have a membrane coat surrounding the
protein coat or capsid. These viruses are common in animal viruses, but are
uncommon in plant viruses.

Herpes Simplex Virus.

A membrane (made of proteins)

surrounds the capsid (also made of
proteins) which surrounds the viral DNA.

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

How do viruses replicate?

Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review

 Replication Phases
I, II, III - Viruses enter cell Phase I
- Attachment to cell membrane
- Penetration inside cell
- Losing virus protein coat

IV - Replication
- Tricks cell into making
more viral DNA
- Tricks cell into
making viral protein
coat
V - Release Phase II
- Assembly of virus
DNA and protein
coat into whole
new viruses
- Leaving the cell Phase III Phase V
Phase IV

http://www.cat.cc.md.us/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit2/viruses/adlyt.html
Introduction – Structure – Replication – Virology – Medicine - Review
 D. Replication is how a virus spreads.
A virus CANNOT reproduce by itself—it must invade a host
cell and take over the cell activities, eventually causing
destruction of the cell and killing it. (The virus enters a cell,
makes copies of itself and causes the cell to burst releasing
more viruses.) DNA/RNA is
DNA/RNA injected
Virus attaches copied.
into cell.
to cell.
Step 2 Step 3
Step 1

Virus copies Cell bursts (lyses) and

itself. releases new viruses.

Step 4 Step 5
Importance:
*Harmful
Causes disease—pathogenic
Disease producing agent—pathogen
Human Diseases: Warts, common cold,
Influenza (flu), Smallpox, Ebola, Herpes, AIDS,
Chicken pox, Rabies

Viruses disrupt the body’s normal

equilibrium/balance
Viruses can be prevented with vaccines,
but NOT treated with antibiotics.
(antibiotics treat bacteria)

Beneficial:
Genetic Engineering—harmless virus
carries good genes into cells.
 Virus Living Cell
RNA or DNA core (center), Cell membrane, cytoplasm,
Structure
protein coat (capsid) genetic material, organelles

Copies itself only inside

Reproduction Asexual or Sexual
host cell--REPLICATION

Genetic Material DNA or RNA DNA and RNA

Growth and
NO YES—Multicellular Organisms
Development

Obtain and NO YES

Use Energy

Response to
NO YES
Environment

Change over time NO YES

 Vaccines
• Viruses grown on chicken embryos are
attenuated vaccines
• Another type of vaccine is made by heat killing
the virus
 Viruses and Cancer
• Mechanism of
cancer
causation

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